Johnson joins a cast that already includes Jaime Foxx (who played Ricardo Tubbs in the “Miami Vice” movie, incidentally), Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz and Kurt Russell. Gerald McRainey, who is best known for his roles on “Major Dad” and “Deadwood,” is also on board.

Story follows a slave-turned-bounty hunter (Foxx) on a mission to rescue his wife from her sadistic slavemaster. Johnson will play a wealthy southern plantation owner who Django and Schultz meet in their pursuit of a bounty.

The pic will be distributed domestically by The Weinstein Company and overseas by Sony Pictures.

Tarantino has a knack for unique casting, but in the case of Johnson, it was a little harder to nail his pick down than he originally expected: Sources say Tarantino had always been a fan of Johnson from his “Miami Vice” days, and very much wanted him for this part.

Johnson was a fan of Tarantino and the script, but didn’t feel it was for him. After a courtship that lasted several months, Johnson finally decided to give in and do it.